The dirty side of Paris (Paris Sewer Museum)

Never wondered about what happens under the fashionable streets of Paris? The answer is at Paris Sewer Museum, in the 7th Arrondissement of Paris. This is a small museum that, despite being located in one of the most touristy areas in Paris, has few visits. A pity because few cities offer the possibility of such an original and quirky visit through their entrails!

1889: A SEWER MUSEUM FOR PARIS

Organized tours of the Paris’ Sewers were first offered in 1889. Guided Paris Underground Tours were available during “the nice season” twice a month and visitors were transported through the sewer system on wagons and boats.

The entrance to the Paris Sewer Museum in 1889

The current entrance to the Paris Sewer Museum

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VISITING THE SEWER MUSEUM TODAY

Today the Paris Sewer Museum details along 500 m of their tunnels the history of the sewer system in Paris, from the former Roman city of Lutetia (first name of Paris) to its modern structure (XIX century). The history of the sewers is explained in a very pedagogical way, all in parallel with the history of Paris. The museum also details the role of sewer workers and methods of water treatment. We were happy to know that Paris is the city which has the biggest and most modern sewer system in the world!

The Paris sewers system has 2.400 km of tunnels and galleries. In this Paris Underground City, the streets have the same name and the same Parisian street sign than their corresponding streets on the surface so impossible to get lost.

CURIOUS & INTERESTING THINGS THAT WE LEARNED

The Paris sewer system is also used to heat a local swimming pool in Paris. How? As in cities everywhere, thousands of liters of heated water drain into Paris’ sewage system every day. This water comes from showers, dishwashers and washing machines. The average water temperature through the sewage network is 13 degree Celsius during the winter and 20 degrees in summer. This domestic greywater naturally transfers its heat to the pipes that it flows through which then dissipates in the underground tunnels without any use. However, a new stainless steel lining can recapture between four and eight degrees of this warmth. The system, developed by French waste and water group Suez, can boost this to 50 degrees and pump water to where it is needed.

Some other interesting things that we learned during our visit:

Romans built an initial sewer system along the alignment of the present Boulevard Saint Michel, flowing into the Seine in what is now Place Saint Michel;

In 1802 Napoleon Bonapartedecided to dig the Ourcq Channel to supply up to 70.000 m3 a day. His decision followed his conversation with the chemist Jean-Antoine Chaptal, minister of the Interior at that time, during which Napoleon expressed his desire to “do something grand and useful for Paris”. Chaptal replied: give people water!

The Alma Bridge (1854-56) inaugurated by Napoleon III to commemorate the victory against Russians in Crimea (1854) has 4 sculptures representing the four kinds of soldiers who participated in this war. The Zouave (French soldier from the North Africa armies) is the only original statue still on its place (the others were moved to museums) and has the sad task to measure the Seine’s floods. It is not an official measurement system, it is mostly a sentimental thing for Parisians. The access to the footpaths along the river quays is usually closed when the Seine’s level reaches the feet of the Zouave. When the water hits his thighs, the river is not navigable. During the great flood of the Seine (1910) the level reached his shoulders (+8.62m).

The Zouave during the floods in Paris (June 2016)

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PARIS SEWER MUSEUM TIPS AND PRACTICAL INFO

We suggest visiting this museum in the summertime because the temperature is a little bit fresh.

The smell in the galleries is not that bad as you may think. If you are very sensitive it is better to visit this museum in the winter time when the smell is less strong.

The museum is open every day from 11.00 am to 5.00 pm (4.00 pm in winter time) except Thursday and Friday. In January the museum closes for 2 weeks for a general maintenance but the website does not specify the dates.

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WorldInParis

The concept of sewer may seem weird but it is important. A proper sewerage system is must for smooth functioning of city. and this museum definitely helps learn the flaws and development. I doubt if any other city in the world has this kind of museum.

WorldInParis

03/11/2017 at 9:51 pm

Barcelona has something like this. But you only walk through the sewer system, there is not the museum part

This is really interesting and a unique way of using the drainage water for heating a swimming pool. I have never read about this Sewer Museum not read about them on – Things to Do lists. Thanks for sharing such offbeat and hidden gems.

WorldInParis

03/11/2017 at 9:53 pm

For information Paris wants to heat another public swimming pool with the computers’ heat emissions of a big data center

It is indeed a tribute to the artistic finesses we associate with Paris, that even its sewers are the subject of a museum. This is really unique, we were not able to visit this during our last trip, hope to include it in our itinerary next time around.

WorldInParis

How interesting! I’ve been to Paris twice now and had no idea that you could visit its sewers. I was happy to read that the smell isn’t as bad as you’d think, because that was the first thing I wondered about! That’s for sharing something so off the beaten path!

WorldInParis

03/11/2017 at 10:26 pm

It is not off the beaten path, it is under the beaten path, lol 😉 If you are too sensitive to smells it is better to go in winter time.

Anita Hendrieka

This is great! I have not seen the other side of Paris and all I see are the magnificent and flashy pictures of it. Like everyone dreams on visiting Paris because it feels so nice. But the sewer museum is something unique. I never knew that this is also used to provide some hot waters in some area. Nice read.

WorldInParis

11/10/2017 at 12:53 pm

Thanks Andi for stopping by! 🙂

Holly

03/06/2017 at 5:11 pm

I had no idea there was a sewer museum. Not sure it is something I would want to visit, but that is interesting.

WorldInParis

It’s interesting to know that as early as the Roman times, they’re already using the concept of water recycling and treatment, and energy recovery. I similarly learned this when I visited ancient cities in Turkey but didn’t know that Paris has such a sewer museum, where you could really see the underground structure. Thanks for sharing, will definitely put this on my list the next time I visit Paris.

WorldInParis

03/06/2017 at 10:53 pm

Thanks for your comment Jing! Well I think Romans just canalized dirty waters to the Seine, maybe I need to review the way that I wrote it 🙂

What an interesting museum, and one that I’m sure is not in any guidebook. That is what makes great cities like Paris so special. Just when you think you have seen, heard, or read everything there is to know, you find out you are completely wrong! I find this sort of engineering projects interesting, despite the fact that it is a sewer. Who know that I have probably walked over this museum countless times on my visits to Paris!

WorldInParis

03/06/2017 at 8:37 pm

Yep, you probably walked over this museum when in Paris because it is located along Quai Branly (so a very touristy area) 😉

WorldInParis

I’ve always been hesitant to visit this place because, eh, sewers. Only the French would do this, or eh, maybe the Chinese. Still, it’s hard for me to think of spending an afternoon in Paris anywhere underground, on purpose. Thanks for the intro though–perhaps I’ll use this exposure as an excuse for not actually going myself.

WorldInParis

03/06/2017 at 8:39 pm

Ahahah. It is a good choice when it is too hot in Paris. For information, you can also visit the sewers in Barcelona (a cooler visit than in Paris, by the way . .)

WorldInParis

Wow! I didn’t know this existed – (obviously it exists as its a service imperative to the running of a city – but I didn’t know it was a tourist attraction!) I love how there is practically another city below the city with the sewers, the catacombs, the underground – its just fab!

WorldInParis

I had heard of this tour before, but I never did it because i was afraid it might involve crawling around in stinky tunnels. Now I see this I wish I had made the effort. Always good to hear about something different to do in Paris.

WorldInParis

06/27/2016 at 7:56 pm

Oh, no, it is like a city below the city . . . no “crawling problems” at all 😉

Haha, this was a great read! It’s important to know that travel isn’t always about beautiful landscapes and buildings; it’s about really getting to know a country or city, and how better to get to know Paris than through its sewer system?!

WorldInParis

06/26/2016 at 9:42 pm

Hahahah, just trying to show Paris off the beaten path 😉 Thanks for your comment, Claire

Carolina Colborn

06/26/2016 at 5:07 pm

Quite interesting! I found a Trash Museum in Connecticut, too, but it was dedicated to the inroads they are making in the trash recycling industry.

WorldInParis

06/26/2016 at 9:24 pm

Lol! I would not call this museum a trash museum, lol. Anyway, thans for stopping by 🙂

Well that’s definitely not something you’ll read about in all the guidebooks! It’s nice to read about something so unusual in Paris, though, makes a change from the endless posts about Laduree macarons!

WorldInParis

06/26/2016 at 9:26 pm

That’s exactly THE GOAL OF THIS BLOG! We want to shake Paris and show people that there is much more than Tour Eiffel and macarons (quite yummy though) 😉

I love history so I would do this tour too. It’s the little things you don’t think about that make any city function.

WorldInParis

06/26/2016 at 9:27 pm

Thanks for your comment, Lisa! Happy you enjoyed the post 🙂

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